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Monday, August 7, 2017

The title of this post is the nickname given to
Savannah, Georgia. This southern city is called this because like many other
locations their old burial grounds were paved over and built upon without
moving the graves that lay beneath.

This fact has led to reported ghostly sightings
across Savannah. But many locals agree their city’s Historic District is the
most haunted.

In the middle of this district is the 6-acre
Colonial Park Cemetery that dates back to 1750. Over 10,000 souls are buried
here despite the fact there are only 1,000 headstones that remain.

The reasons for this vary. Over 700 victims of
the 1820s yellow fever epidemic are buried in mass graves at Colonial. This
graveyard also has many family vaults were family members were placed. Their
remains turned to dust and placed in urns so the next generation of deceased
could be placed on the shelves—this cycle then continued.

Gravestones displaced by Union
soldiers.

Many of Colonial’s gravestones were moved or
disfigured by Union troops during the Civil War, which leads to more confusion
of where the deceased are buried.

But the most compelling factor is when the
cemetery’s boundaries were shortened the surrounding streets, i.g. Abercorn and
Oglethorpe, were paved over and many of the graves were left under them.

One area of Colonial today is a children’s
playground and basketball court. Sightings of ghosts believed to be deceased
men who were killed in duels are reported here. Other sightings in the cemetery include shadow
figures and a green mist that floats among the gravestones.

By far, the most famous haunting at this park is
known as the “Hanging Tree” ghost. Locals and tourists are fascinated by this
story, which has taken on epic proportions.

A male ghost, known as Rene Rondolier, is often
seen walking through Colonial or hanging from a tree called the “Hanging Tree”
located at the back wall of the cemetery.

It is said Rondolier is easy to spot because he
is almost 7 feet in height. His ghost is infamous because it is believed he
murdered two young girls in this graveyard. He then was lynched either on the
Hanging Tree or in a nearby square.

Footnote: There is little historic evidence that
Rondolier ever existed but this story through several generations has taken on folkloric
status.Despite this fact there have been so many
witnesses to this haunting as well as others that paranormal investigators in
the area have dubbed Colonial Park “Paranormal Central” and of course ghost
tours are offered.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

The Old Chatham County jail in
Savannah, Georgia is so haunted people are actually encouraged not to visit.

This jail established in
1737, housed 300 prisoners in its 250 plus year history. It was closed in 1989
in order to move the inmates to a larger facility.

The county then used the
building to store city archives. It was at this point city employees began to
report strange activity.

These witnesses reported
hearing footsteps and voices without known sources. Several stated they felt
they were being watched constantly.

They reported being touched,
pushed and even thrown against walls by an unseen force.

Paranormal researchers were
called in. These groups collected videos of ghostly figures, frightening EVPs
and a variety of Poltergeist activity. One group witnessed a 150-pound metal
plate fly across the room they were standing in. This plate hit the opposite
wall with such force it marred it.

One cell in the old building
is more active than any other location. It is believed to house the malevolent
spirit of Carl Isaacs.

Carl Isaacs Jr.

Isaacs escaped from a
Maryland jail in 1973. He and his two brothers headed to Florida in hopes Carl
would not be re-captured. They ran out of gas in Georgia and landed at a dry
station.

Isaacs and his brothers
decided to rob a trailer home that sat in the back of this station. But the
Alday family who lived there interrupted their burglary.

Isaacs held the five male
members of the family at gunpoint. He and his brothers shot and killed them.
They then raped and shot Mary Alday and dumped her body in the woods.

A few days later Isaacs was
arrested, he still had the murder weapons in his possession. These murders are
still considered some of the worst in Georgia history.

Carl Isaacs was put in
Chatham County jail where he sat on death row for years. Since his death his ghost has
terrified witnesses.

Paranormal investigators
report an overwhelming sense of dread while they were in his cell. They state
that afterwards this feeling is hard to shake.

This oppressive energy is
considered evil in nature. These investigators experiences have dictated who is
allowed to tour this old jail. Paranormal teams are allowed in but others who
apply are turned away.

I recently heard this
building has been demolished. Will the activity now stop?

Thursday, May 19, 2016

This historic home in
Savannah, Georgia was designed by DeWitt Bruyn and built at a cost of $25,000
for the William Kehoe family.

William Kehoe immigrated to
America in 1842 at the age of 10 with his family from Ireland. The Kehoe family
settled in the Old Fort District of Savannah—an area with many Irish families.

William was apprenticed to an
iron foundry and worked his way up to foreman. His hard work paid off, for he
eventually bought the foundry. He became one of Savannah’s leading businessmen.

William Kehoe

After being married for
several years he and his wife, Anne and their 10 children moved into their new Queen
Anne style mansion in 1892. His heirs sold the home in 1930.

After this it was used as a funeral
home for 47 years (1930-1977). Then the New York Jests football star, Joe
Namath owned the home until 1990. It then underwent renovations and opened as a
Bed and Breakfast.

Today it is run by HLC Hotels
and is run as a Boutique inn. It has a 4-star rating.

One constant in the home
during these years has been the ongoing presence of several deceased Kehoe
family members. Four members of the 1st generation of the Kehoe
Family who died in the house have been seen in the home.

Mrs. Anne Kehoe is known as
the Lady in White. Toward the end of
her life she suffered crippling Arthritis and was confined to the second floor.
It is here where her ghost is seen the most.

She is spotted writing at a
desk and she often abruptly awakens guests with her presence. She is seen
sitting on the edge of their beds. At other times she is seen on the 3rd
floor. This is where she would visit her grandchildren.

William Kehoe’s ghost is seen
throughout the home. On one occasion he opened all the locked doors on the
ground floor at the same time.

It is sometimes reported that
the couple had twin sons that died in the house. But actually it was two young
daughters, Anne and Mary who died of Roseola within 3 days of each other. The
girls are mistaken for twins because they were close in age.

Their distinctive features
identify them. They both have blonde hair and blue eyes. They are playful
spirits who are often heard running on the top floors.

Haunted guest room.

They giggle and whisper into
each other’s ears. They are seen standing at the foot of guest beds. One female
guest reported feeling her face stroked. The girls also like to turn doorknobs.

Today it is said rooms 201
and 203 are the most active. Besides the ghosts seen, lights are turned on and
off when these rooms are empty.The doorbell in the home also
chimes when no one is outside.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

A pretty bronze statue sits
in Morrell Park along Savannah’s historic riverfront. This memorial was placed
here to honor one of the city’s favorite residents.

This statue depicts the beloved Florence Martus waving a cloth with a large dog sitting next
to her.

Florence was born in 1868 on
Cockspur Island where her father was an ordnance sergeant at Fort Pulaski.

Legend states she promised
her fiancé to greet every returning ship entering Savannah Harbor until he
returned to her. Unfortunately, he never came home again.

Florence became the Waving Girl of Savannah or “the
sweetheart of mankind” because for 44 years from 1887 to 1931 she greeted every
ship entering or leaving the Savannah River by waving her apron during the day
or a lantern at night.

Cockspur Lighthouse

It is estimated she helped
50,000 vessels off Cockspur Island avoid the rocks during this time. Florence did
this from the front lawn of the white cottage where she lived with her brother
the light keeper at the nearby lighthouse—located just south of Savannah.

It is said that after her
death in 1941 her ghost could still be seen waving her apron or a white cloth
at this spot near the harbor entrance.

Florence Martus

Her service was so admired
ships today still sound a salute to her memory as they enter the harbor. She is
so beloved that the captain who delivered the memorial statue of her in 1971 to
Savannah’s riverfront refused payment for his service.

Her apparition has been seen near
this memorial as well. Witnesses state they see this statue come to life in
Morrell Park at night. She is seen waving her cloth of stone.

Other witnesses have claimed
to see another ghost of a little boy near her statue. A grisly legend states
this boy broke the necks of several children and small animals so he was hung
near the river.

The owners of River Street Market Place, Traci and
George also lay claim to Florence Martus’ ghost. When they open or close their
market they state they have felt a presence that whooshes from one corner to
another in a shed where their alarm system is located.

This shed is just a few yards
away from the park that contains the statue. They state that they have seen
shadows at night playing across the market’s antique doors that are similar to
Martus and her dog.

When the lights are out they
also have heard a mournful cry at night that states, “Come back” repeatedly.

River Street Market Place

One of the market’s venders,
Peggy Kenny displays some Waving Girl memorabilia. She often returns to her
space in the morning to find items either gone or rearranged—they are always
items connected to the Waving Girl.

Skeptical at first, she now
believes this must be the work of Florence Martus’ ghost.

Friday, July 24, 2015

This cemetery today is over
150 years old and is considered to be Savannah’s most active when it comes to
ghosts.

It at one time contained the
famous Bird Girl statue, which
appeared on the cover of John Benendt’s book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. This statue now resides in
a nearby museum.

But there are many statues
that remain in the cemetery some of which are known to be haunted.

Some of these statues have
been seen moving. Several Angel
statues beam or grimace, one statue in particular named Corinne is known to
smile at visitors that she likes.

Corinne

Eerie sounds are heard at
other statues. At an infant’s grave a crying baby is heard and at the tomb of a
child—children are heard giggling.

Another legend connected to
Bonaventure is about a pack of ghostly “hell hounds” that have been known to
bark and snarl at lingering visitors.

No one has ever seen these
dogs but many have heard and felt them. Visitors state they felt their breath
on their heels or heard their angry barks in the distance.

Several visitors have claimed
these dogs even chased them. They state they heard these vicious dogs bark and
snarl at their back as they chased them through the cemetery.

The land the cemetery sits
upon was once a large plantation. Josiah Tattnall, Jr. was a well-liked early
citizen of Savannah. He was known to throw popular dinner parties. His immense
mansion eventually caught fire and burned down.

But today, people still claim
to hear the voices of people socializing and having a good time in the area
where this mansion once stood.

One of the most well known
hauntings at Bonaventure Cemetery involves the gravesite of a little girl by
the name of Gracie Watson.

Gracie Watson

The plaque at her gravesite
mentions she was a “beautiful and charming little girl” who died from pneumonia
at the age of six.

Visitors to her gravesite are
aware of her sad story. They often place coins and toys upon her grave. Every
time these trinkets are removed it is said Gracie can be heard crying.

Her gravesite also has a
statue that is unique for it has been known to cry. Many have claimed to see it
weeping real tears. Others state that it actually weeps bloody tears.

These days Gracie’s gravesite
is fenced off. Some state to protect it from visitor’s grasping hands—but
others claim the fence is meant to contain Gracie’s playful spirit

Here is a short video of the
cemetery showing many of the statues that are considered to be haunted.